Inside the Stars
by Courteney Chilton
Summary: A fluffy little PWP Remus & Lily fic. (My very first fic, so critique is very welcome. )


Disclaimer & Author's Notes:  
  
Roses are red, violets are blue  
  
Harry Potter ain't mine, so please don't sue!  
  
I would also like to add that this fic is 3.210843729% songfic. Me, in my usually uncreative state of mind, stole the title from a song: 'Stewart's Coat' by Michelle Branch. My absolute favorite line goes:  
  
If you let me, I will keep you here inside the stars  
  
And yeah. There you have it.  
  
Enjoy the fic.  
  
.  
  
Lily Evans was sitting at a large rectangular table in the middle of the library inside Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was starting an essay for History of Magic, "Cause and Effect: The Goblin Rebellion of 1786". In her swishy handwriting, she wrote that title at the top of the sheaf of parchment. Below the title, she wrote, "An essay by Lily Evans". She giggled slightly and added, after "Evans", the word "Lupin". She giggled a little more and admired the name.  
  
"Lily Evans Lupin." She said, closing her eyes and sighing.  
  
She opened her eyes a few moments later and shook her head. She started to dig through her bag, which was sitting on the chair next to her. She pulled out her slim wand and pointed it at "Lupin", straining to remember the spell for erasing ink.  
  
"Ah." she said softly, "Oblytera,"  
  
After correcting her name, she consulted the book on the table next to her parchment. She picked her quill up again and dipped it into her ink bottle before starting her essay.  
  
"In 1786," She began, "there was very little known--"  
  
"Oy! Evans!" Came a male voice, interrupting Lily's thought process. She looked up slowly to see three of her peers walking toward her. Her heart dropped as she realized that not one of them was the one student she would've been happy to see. They walked over to her table and sat down, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew beside her and James Potter sitting directly across from her. She put on the scowl she so often wore when they were around.  
  
"What in Merlin's name do you three want?" She asked, irritated.  
  
"Aw, Lily, we just came to chat. There's no need to be so hostile." James said easily, taking the quill pen from her hand and playing with it.  
  
"Potter, give me back my quill." Lily said, leaning across the table and trying to snatch it out of his hands.  
  
James was clearly enjoying this, smirk on his face. Lily was very aware that he had a crush on her, and she was also very aware that she would never consider dating him, ever.  
  
She grabbed his wrist, which of course didn't bother him, and plucked the quill from his hand.  
  
"As much as I'd love to just hang out and talk to you three, I, unfortunately, have homework to do." said Lily sarcastically.  
  
"Oh, come on, Lily. It's Saturday! Saturday was never created for doing homework." Sirius said, closing her book.  
  
"Thanks a lot, Black." Lily muttered, "You lost my page." She started flipping through the book in search for the correct page. The same question was running through her brain over and over, her conscience arguing with her. Just ask the stupid question Lily; don't be such a wimp. Its not like they could muster enough brain power to figure out you have feelings for him. Even though you make it so obvious. She stared fixedly at her book, trying to hide her blushing face. Fine, she thought determinedly.  
  
"So... um, where's Remus?" she finally asked, trying to sound mildly interested as she turned another few pages.  
  
"In the common room," James said, ". doing homework." He added with disgust. "What a prat." Lily watched Peter nod out of the corner of her eye. Her quill was shaking.  
  
"He is not a prat!" Lily exclaimed. "Just for doing his homework!" she added quickly. "You three should be doing the same, and I wish you'd leave me alone so I could do mine!"  
  
"Fine." James said, standing up. Sirius and Peter did the same. They knew better than to mess with an angry Lily. She watched them walk away from the table and out the large doors. She waited a moment, then stood up, gathering her things.  
  
She walked up to the librarian's table, picked up the quill that was there, and signed her name, house, year and the book title and the author on a sheet of parchment used to check out books to Hogwarts students.  
  
When she finished, she jogged out of the library and around the corner, up stairs and down long corridors, stopping finally at Gryffindor Tower. She paused to catch her breath, and told the portrait the password. The portrait swung forward, granting her entrance to the common room. She walked inside the cozy room, looking around. She frowned when she didn't see Remus. In fact, she didn't see anyone. She frowned, realizing that James, Sirius, and Peter probably hadn't told the truth about Remus's whereabouts.  
  
She walked over to the window slowly, looking outside. It was snowing lightly, and the majority of the Hogwarts student body was outside, having snowball fights or ice skating across the lake, or cuddling up under a tree or on a mound of snow. She sighed. She didn't see Remus, however James, Sirius, and Peter were having a snowball fight with a couple of Slytherins.  
  
"Hey, Evans," said a male voice that Lily knew all too well. She turned to see Remus Lupin walking down the stairs from the boy's dormitories. He was wearing just his slacks and a white dress shirt, the top couple undone buttons making Lily melt inside.  
  
"Oh, hi Remus!" Lily said, trying not to sound too excited. "I guess everyone's outside, then?" She asked, watching him sit down in a chair. She set down her robes and bag, smoothing her skirt and hair quickly.  
  
"Yeah, or in the Library." Remus said, pulling the table in front of him, which was littered with books and parchment, closer to the chair. "Which is why I chose to do my work in here."  
  
Lily nodded. "Yeah, me too." she lied.  
  
"Great minds think alike." Remus said with a smile that made Lily's legs buckle.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so..." she breathed, sitting down on the couch across from him and placing her homework on the table. "You-you don't mind, do you?" She asked tentatively.  
  
"No, of course not." Remus said simply. "I'm actually just about done, I just went upstairs to get another bottle of ink. I just need to finish off this potions essay and then I'm heading outside too."  
  
"Oh..." Lily said sadly.  
  
They worked quietly for a few minutes, and Remus finished off his essay with a flourish. "Done!" He packed up his things and stood up from his chair. "See you, Lily. Have fun with that essay." he said with a smile, grabbing a sweater lying by his robes and scarf.  
  
"Wait! Don't go!" Lily blurted out. He stopped pulling the sweater over his head and turned to her.  
  
"Whrmf?" He asked through the thick gray sweater. He pulled it off and looked at her quizzically. "Why?" he asked, again, Lily could only assume.  
  
"Well, um... Well, I know it sounds stupid, but I was wondering if... if you'd help me... with this History of Magic essay..." she stuttered.  
  
He paused, but soon nodded. "Uh, sure. I'm not an expert or anything..." he said modestly.  
  
"Oh, no, it's ok! I just need all the help I can get." Lily said, doing her best to look helpless.  
  
"Well now, let's see..." Remus said, sitting down next to her, making Lily's heart bang against her rib cage. He looked over her essay, or what it was so far. "Yes, I don't think Binns'll be too happy about a title and a byline."  
  
Lily giggled giddily. She picked up the book she had checked out earlier. "Well, there's some good stuff in--"  
  
"Lily?" Remus interrupted. She blinked and turned to face him.  
  
"Y-yes?" she asked.  
  
"Why did you really ask me to stay behind?" Remus said, taking the book from her hands and setting it back on the table, not taking his eyes off hers. "You're great in History of Magic. Better than I am, actually."  
  
"I, well..." Lily stammered.  
  
Remus moved closer to her, making Lily's stomach knot.  
  
"It's ok, Lily," He said softly. She could feel his warm breath hit her skin, making her very nervous. "I understand."  
  
"Yo-you understand what?" Lily asked, trying to keep herself from shaking.  
  
Remus didn't say anything. His eyes closed, he was incredibly close to her face now, she could even make out one or two very light freckles on his nose.  
  
"R-Remus?" Lily started again, very softly. "What do--" She was unable to finish her sentence, because at that moment he leaned in and kissed her.  
  
Lily was shocked at first, but she slipped her arms around Remus's neck. He had his arms around her waist, and she melted into his embrace. His kiss felt almost electric, sharp, sending shivers down her spine and making her skin tingle. Lily felt as if this was some wonderful dream, though she desperately hoped not.  
  
Remus pulled away suddenly, making Lily more shocked than she had been at his kiss.  
  
"Excuse me, miss," he said.  
  
Lily blinked, confused. "Wh-what?"  
  
"Miss?" Remus said again, shaking her shoulders lightly.  
  
Lily's eyes fluttered open. Her head was resting on her crossed arms, next to her quill and sheet of parchment. The orange light of the sunset was spilling through the high windows of the library, reflecting off the glossy mahogany table.  
  
Damn it, Lily thought.  
  
She felt two hands take hold of her shoulders again and shake them. "Miss?"  
  
Lily sat up slowly and stared into the angry blue eyes of the librarian. "Yes, Madam Stoke?" she asked sleepily.  
  
The librarian made a "Hmph" sound and walked away.  
  
Lily stretched and yawned. She looked down at her History of Magic homework and sighed. She reached into her bag, pulled out her wand, and pointed it at "Lupin"  
  
"Oblytera," she muttered, watching the name sink into the parchment and disappear. 


End file.
